Pianotech

  • 1.  Trap Lever Repair

    Posted 20 days ago
      |   view attached

    Greetings All -

    What is your favorite repair method for a trap lever pivot detachment as shown in the attached photo?



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    Barb Bernhardt
    GF Music Piano Tuning & Repair
    Montrose, Colorado
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  • 2.  RE: Trap Lever Repair

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 20 days ago

    Barb, what exactly is the problem? Is this a middle pedal that goes down and shifts to the left to lock? Did the screw it pivots on break?



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    Steven Rosenthal RPT
    Honolulu HI
    (808) 521-7129
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Trap Lever Repair

    Posted 20 days ago
    This is the sustain pedal trap lever.  The failure is in the spot welds that hold the pivot assembly to the trap lever.

    I will use a steel-reinforced epoxy (like JB-Weld Cold Weld) unless someone has another suggestion that is tried and true.



    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Trap Lever Repair

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 20 days ago

    I've never had much luck with epoxy on something like that. If it's a Yamaha, I'd try to get a replacement. Otherwise I'd probably try to through-bolt it. 



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    Steven Rosenthal RPT
    Honolulu HI
    (808) 521-7129
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Trap Lever Repair

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 20 days ago

    I have run across this a couple times on Yamaha P22s. One time I ended up replacing it from Yamaha, and one time I successfully put in bolts through the rod. The hardest part was just accessing the area, as there is very little room to work.



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    Peter Stevenson RPT
    P.S. Piano Service
    Prince George BC
    (250) 562-5358
    ps@pspianos.com
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Trap Lever Repair

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 20 days ago

    I've found that if you remove the upper part from the base first, the pin that it rocks on is a carriage bolt threaded at the end and held with a small hex nut, then it's pretty easy to remove or reinstall the base. (It helps not to be too tall)



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    Steven Rosenthal RPT
    Honolulu HI
    (808) 521-7129
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Trap Lever Repair

    Posted 19 days ago
    Thanks Steven - 

    Do you recall what type of epoxy you have tried?



    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Trap Lever Repair

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 19 days ago

    Many types including putty type. Metal to metal can be hard if there are shear or compression forces at work, here you have on tubular piece and one flat piece. I think you need something mechanically holding them together like sheet metal screws, through bolts, or another pair of rivets. Personally I'd go for the through bolts as they are the least likely to fail, basically they are clamping the two parts to each other.



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    Steven Rosenthal RPT
    Honolulu HI
    (808) 521-7129
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Trap Lever Repair

    Posted 18 days ago
    Thanks for the comments - the concerns you shared about shear forces are mine as well Steven.

    This piano is a Hendrikson (off-brand I suspect by another manufacturer).  I don't like this style of trap work as there are so many aspects of it that are prone to fail over time.

    I was planning on disassembling the pivot - so thanks for reinforcing that.

    I had also wondered about trying to re-braze it - wondering if anyone has tried that - not that that would be fool-proof either.

    At least I am on the shorter side - however, I still hit my head more often than I care to when working on piano trap work.



    Original Message